Darlings, tonight’s horror film is a 1953 animation inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s classic 1843 short story of betrayal, madness and murder. Filled with paranoid tension, this incarnation of the Tell Tale Heart, directed by Ted Parmelee and voiced by legendary actor James Mason, is just as creepy today as it was 70 years ago, when it was the first short animated film rated X by the British Film Board of Censors. Although it lost the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, this horror short has since been recognized in The 50 Greatest Cartoons and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Enjoy!
You can also read the complete text of the original story at The Edgar Allen Poe Society or head over to Escape and Suspense! to listen to mid-20th century radio show productions of The Tell Tale Heart from their archive of vintage radio shows.
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– Friday Night Features: “Dans l’Ombre”
– Friday Night Features: “The Cat with Hands”
– Friday Night Features: “Behind Closed Doors”
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I feel bad for his eye.
I have it on the best authority that his eye feels bad for you, darling.
I love James Mason narrating this and I like they way the film is stylized. I always think of him as Humbert Humbert in Lolita — haha! Great story. Big fan of Edgar Allan Poe of course. I feel I might have read this story.
It is a good one if you haven’t had a chance, and short, so makes for quick reading. There’s a link at the bottom of the post to the full text. 🙂
One of my favourite Poe tales. Thanks for letting us hear it with James Mason’s rich voice! Smartly done, sweetie!
It is quite a mix of art, story, and sound, isn’t it? Speaking of pleasant things, it’s lovely to see you back, darling.
It is certainly better than hearing Jackie Mason recite it!
It is lovely to be back! For some reason, I stopped receiving notices of your blog posts. I gave the WP system a stern talking to, sweetie, believe you me! Things are, for the moment, back to abnormal, thank goodness!!